Archive for August 16th, 2018

Way back in my initiation to blogging I did a series of entries showcasing my new region of Brittany or Bretagne or Breizh. This went on for a while in fact reviving this thread is no 24, with the last written on April 27 2017! You can search all of them in my blog by typing some news from Bretagne in the search box on the right hand column of my front page.

It has been amazing ride and later developed into more detail description of the events and towns here. However, today I go back because I have been in two of the regions of Bretagne , my own Morbihan dept 56, and neighbor Finistére dept 29. So will do another Some news from Bretagne post.

I started my day after our family continental breakfast with painting! yes we painted a room in our basement (our basement has 130 sq meters or 1400 sq feet) on materials already purchase with my dear late wife Martine. We were thinking of doing two rooms in the basement for guests and we have it all done, just the room partitions is left to do! The boys did a good job and were treated with their favorite young people food, Star kebad and a sparkler mousseux from the Loire Vignobles Marchais that was not too bad for 6 euros lol! This was a great family affairs and I love it! The kebad has very friendly husband and wife team and has a Facebook page here : Star Kebad Pluvigner

From here we went into our neighbor Finistére in the fortified town of Concarneau that we have visited many times and several blog posts on it. This time we were there for something special. FIFA Under 20 Women World Cup is been held in several cities in Brittany and today the quarter finals was SPAIN vs Nigeria!!! The game was played at Stade Guy Piriou with heavy security. We are so closed we could not miss cheering the girls so Spain won 2×1 and has a historical semifinal appearance which turn out will be against France yikes !!!! France beat North Korea 1X0 on a penalty kick. I will be neutral ::)

The game was pretty good, fast and lots of chances, Spain was dominating the first half ,winning 2X0 , a bit less the second half when Nigeria came back. They are very happy to be able to reach the semi finals for the first time. We had a blast there. Ah parking was funny, we saw it full around the small stadium and some VIP spaces so we ask a cop and told us go across to the E Leclerc hypermarket , so we did for free and an underground passageway to go from the hypermarket to the stadium to boot! Great!

As we were still about an hour from home decided to come back and celebrate the win closer to us in one of favorite bar and many times mentioned in my blog, the V&B of Auray. This is a nice concept of bar and liquor store where the closing time is 20h (8pm). The folks at the Auray store are very nice and have come to know them. The store is on a crossroads to the beaches south such as Carnac and Quiberon ,and just off the road N165 voie express or freeway here.

Here we had our usual German beers with my favorite Krombacher and wild pig and pepper sausages cut in thin slices.

After this indulgent we came home to relax and wait for a Paris friend visiting us by tomorrow.

Enjoy your day wherever you are, life is beautiful but short. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

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This is a nice breezy not too hot not to cold day in my lovely Morbihan and we set out to do many things (more of that on later post). However, wine is in the air, Summer is the tradition of wine and the refreshing idea of drinking it with friends and family.

In my humble efforts to tell you all about wines in France from a seasoned taster, drinker, collector and diplomé person of France let me tell you the latest happening. Oh yes I will be in the trail by August 21th in the Loire.. Some of the tourist activities you can join are

Tasting under the Earth , some of the latest tasting going on in my belle France.
The Ardèche winegrowers make their wines grow old in spectacular galleries, and on the Cave of Saint-Marcel. A speleologist guide and a wine expert take you to taste them in the dark. Spéléoenology, 58 euros/pers. (2 h 30 to 3 h 30.) more at www.escale-ardeche.com

For tasting on the waves , see Denis Retiveau, winemaker and Marinier, embarks on his cabin flat bottom boat ;this flat-bottomed boat, topped by a hut, slips over the Loire (or Vienna) river while you enjoy a drink of wine from his Domaine des Champs Fleuris.
From 25 euros/pers. More info at www.loire-vins-aventure.fr

A canvas at the vineyard. In Puyloubier, Provence, in a Transat, enjoy a cinematic projection in the vineyards. A food truck treats you all night. 11 Euros/pers. Every Friday night, until September 7th. More info at these sites : Www.chateau-gassier.fr and www.billetweb.fr

Have a carriage Ride at the Château Fontainebleau du Var , they organize carriage rides on its field grown in organic farming and biodynamics. 11 Euros/pers. (30 minutes.). More info at Chateaufontainebleauduvar.com

Have a “Escape game “ in the property. At the Castle of Rayne Vigneau, in the Sauternes, invites you to unravel the mysteries of its property. Its thrilling escape game ends with a tasting. 30 euros, from 4 pers. (1 H 30.) Book 72 hours in advance. More info here: www.raynevigneau.fr

How about an animated course. The visit of the cellar Robert and Marcel, very close to Saumur, is worth visiting. Eight scenographies, around the wine, punctuate the course in the underground of the La Perrière. 5 Euros. The cellar with sensations. Until September, 11h to 15h and 16h to 17h. More info here: Www.robertetmarcel.com

The latest and 15th edition of Vines, Wines, Randos is upon us!

Event held from 01 to 02 September 2018 by the Interloire,association of vineyards and growers . Offering to you for the occasion 15 unpublished courses each composed of a exceptional stage. 3 hours of relaxation, conviviality and taste sensations on the occasion of VVR.. All guided by a winemaker, you leave for one of the 15 walks offered, punctuated by tastings, pairings and wines and discover the wine know-how. The kit of the perfect hiker in hand, you have all the ingredients to taste the savours of the terroir and discover the riches of the Loire heritage.

On your return, you are welcomed in the village VVR, in a festive atmosphere ensured by a group of music.. This VVR event is routes of 6-9 kms , with a family trail of 3 km, 2 days of hiking, -15 winemakers walks, including three new courses, 20 appellations tasted. 400 winegrowers. And 12 000 participants.

Practical information :Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 September 2018
Timetable: Departures between 9h and 16h15; Price: 6€ and 1€ for under 18 years pre-registration on the site before August 30th, on site 10€. Address: 62 Rue Blaise Pascal, 37019 Tours. More in English here: http://vvr-valdeloire.fr/en/

Some hints on where I am going next: Loire

And do enjoy it all or as many as you can !!! It wonderful in my belle France. And remember , happy travels ,good health, and many cheers to all!!!

I will like to expand on a museum not as known in Paris but just as nice as any. This is an oddity as really never been in the Museum per se …(see at end of post) As the times are hot with a heatwave just past and now cooler times , let me expand on it while at cooling off at home.

The museum to start.

The Museum of Arts and Crafts or Musée des Arts et Métiers is a museum of Science and Technology, as the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, in the 3éme arrondissement of Paris. (Near Church St Nicolas des Champs -see post), founded in 1794 on a proposal by Abbé Grégoire at the National Convention. The Conservatory of Arts and Crafts was originally an institution designed to train technicians and engineers using demonstrations made from scientific and technical objects. While the Cnam is now a major institution of higher education and research, its museum retains all the machines, models, designs that were used throughout the 19C and 20C. It continues to enrich its collections, in particular with the national mission for the safeguarding of the contemporary scientific and technical heritage, which has been entrusted to it since 2003 by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. By the metro Arts et Métiers of line 3 and 11 . However, I will get off at Metro Rambuteau line 11 near the Centre Pompidou and walk along Rue Beaubourg to the Arts et Métiers museum on a nice walk in Paris, and if like I , need to work on the run then stop by Café Unicorners at No 67 More here: http://www.unicorners.fr/
Or for something more casual try the Café des Arts et Métiers off Beaubourg at 51 Rue de Turbigo ;more here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/caf%C3%A9-des-arts-et-m%C3%A9tiers-paris-2

A bit of history I like

The Museum of Arts and Crafts is located in the buildings of the former Royal Priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs. Nationalized in November 1789, this considerable architectural ensemble was assigned to the conservatory in 1798. The museum occupies the bodies of buildings where the monks of the ancient religious community were housed as well as the ancient Priory Church.

The collections of the Museum of Arts and Crafts currently account for nearly 46 000 inventory items. This includes about 80 000 objects (including 20 000 photographs) and 15 000 technical drawings forming the “Industrial portfolio”. Only about 2 500 objects are presented in the galleries of the museum, in Paris, the remainder being kept in specially arranged premises and meeting the standards of preventive conservation, in Saint-Denis.

The first collections were assembled at the initiative of the French mechanic Jacques de Vaucanson. In 1752, the latter installed at the Hotel de Mortagne, rue de Charone in Paris, a mechanics ‘ office where he gave demonstrations, particularly with the objects he designed and built, as the automations. Some of them, such as the mill to organize silk or the loom weaving the crafted fabrics, are among the oldest collections of the Museum of Arts and Crafts. Near the National Museum of Natural History, formed from the Old King’s Garden, the Conservatory of Arts and Crafts will bring together collections of aristocratic physics cabinets or the former Royal Academy of Sciences.

The galleries of the museum open their doors in May 1802. According to the idea of Abbé Grégoire, demonstrators explain to the visitors the operation of the machines.

The permanent exhibition of the Museum of Arts and Crafts is organized into seven thematic collections themselves divided into four chronological periods (before 1750, 1750-1850, 1850-1950, after 1950): Scientific Instruments, Materials, Construction, Communication, Energy, Mechanics and Transports. Additional presentations focus on particular points: the Lavoisier laboratory, the Automation Theater, Madame de Genlis’s teaching models. The ancient Church presents, among other things, the experience of the rotation of the Earth with the help of the Foucault’s Pendulum.

Since 2010, the model of the Statue of liberty of Bartholdi is exhibited in the Place de General Morin, forecourt of the museum.

I have been shown the museum rather brief quick on a business presentation so no pictures as many rooms photos are not allowed. However, have great funny experiences in the meeting here at the Conference room or Salle de Conferences, more on this place that can be rented is here:

The funny story is that having accepted to come to a meeting of top managers of French corporations, I decided to invite my assistance for the sake of training and initiation in the world of management.. As she is a Parisian of that time of 55 yrs old, I simply gave her the address of the conference entrance on rue Réaumur and the museum as guidance. Funny thing in my previous travel forum where I read people telling their experience because a Parisian told them as proof that they are on the right. Well this and many other experiences can tell you not so folks. My assistance was late by about 20 minutes to the meeting, and when asked why, she told me thought been by there but frankly got lost! How can a Parisian native gets lost in Paris? Very simple they go as I found out later by the quartier or neighborhood and as much as the arrondissement or district (see those posts in my blog) and only there is their home. The rest of the city is like a foreign port ,after all in their quartiers they have everything they need to live, and not even a car! needed. So, therefore, make sure the person of Paris has done some travel ok.